The Light of Justice Program was founded with the mission to assist incarcerated people to overcome barriers that would prevent judges from reviewing the merits of their cases on appeal and post-conviction.

Light of Justice works closely with incarcerated Counsel-Substitutes inside Department of Corrections facilities across the state of Louisiana to secure records and transcripts, as well as updated case law, legislation and legal materials that they do not have access to. Light of Justice also offers incarcerated people education on procedural rules and changes to the law, and assists Counsel-Substitutes with monitoring their court deadlines and the outcomes of their direct appeals.

The Light of Justice Program is currently working to expand into the parish jails. Light of Justice staff also conduct trainings and speak at conferences to educate lawyers and judges about client-centered representation and the effects of procedural hurdles that incarcerated people face when accessing the courts. Additionally, Light of Justice staff performs and publishes research to educate the public on access to the courts.

The Light of Justice Program is a core program of JSRI and contributes to JSRI’s mission: Rooted in faith that promotes justice, the Jesuit Social Research Institute empowers communities through service, research, education, and advocacy to confront the systemic issues of poverty and racial inequality.  

Click here to make an online donation to The Light of Justice Program, or click here to download a printable giving form.

Former JSRI faculty member, Dr. Sue Weishar, and educator, Julia Reagin, founded Café con Inglés in 2011 to teach English to the adult immigrant members of St. Anthony of Padua Church and to build a community of faith and friendship at the parish. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes meet for approximately two hours in the school cafeteria after the conclusion of the Spanish-language Mass on Sunday morning. Before class begins, students and volunteer teachers enjoy coffee, pastries, and conversation.

In 2024, JSRI expanded Café Con Inglés to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. With generous support from the Order of St. Lazarus, both sites received new books and materials.

Read more about Café con Inglés here. 

The Ignatian Teach-In on Mass Incarceration aims to create a “culture of encounter” that leads to greater understanding and empathy on the issue of mass incarceration by bringing together formerly incarcerated individuals and Catholic faith communities in a prayerful, intimate, and safe place. Developed by the Jesuit Social Research Institute (JSRI), there is also has an explicit advocacy goal for these events: to engage more Catholics in the pews and in our schools in the struggle for criminal justice reform.

In 2023, JSRI launched the Father Louis J. Twomey, S.J., Legacy Scholar in Residence Program to honor the life and work of Fr. Twomey, one of the greatest social apostles the Jesuit Province of the South ever produced. The program will invite a distinguished scholar who has retired from a life of service in a field of study related to one or more of JSRI’s core issues (race, poverty, and migration) and Catholic Social Teachings to reflect and write about their life’s work. The Twomey Legacy Scholar is invited to spend one calendar year at JSRI to reflect on their legacy and learnings to create a Blueprint for Social Justice. The scholar will have a dedicated office at JSRI and access to resources to host events and convenings including the Twomey lecture in the Fall semester, which will present the scholar’s published Blueprint for Social Justice. 

Background: Fr. Twomey was a Loyola alumnus (1931) and beloved Jesuit priest who returned to Loyola University New Orleans in 1947 to found the Institute of Industrial Relations. It’s mission was to promote fairer conditions for all people in their various places of work, with express support for union organizing, as well as improving labor-management relations. Fr. Twomey was an early and outspoken advocate for racial justice, hosting racially integrated classes at Loyola, starting in 1950. Fr. Twomey’s monthly newsletter, Blueprint for the South, was an inspiration for a generation of Jesuits and lay people engaged in the fight for equal rights for all Americans. Dr. Daniel Thompson, a contemporary of Fr. Twomey and professor at Dillard University said, “Twomey was a voice crying in the wilderness. He was one of the greatest leaders New Orleans ever had.”⁷